Amazon launched a widely publicized search for a location for a second headquarters, called "HQ2," with about six weeks for cities, counties and even states to submit their proposal. San Jose delivered its 44-page magazine-format proposal well before the Oct. 19 deadline.

"We believe this proposal showcases the very strong assets that San Jose can offer Amazon," said OED's director, Kim Walesh. "San Jose has a strong track record of growing and supporting giant enterprises, and we have the space, the infrastructure and most importantly, the mindset that meets Amazon's needs.".

In developing the proposal, OED staff reached out to property and developers in three main employment areas of the city, to make sure the real estate availabilities being offered were solid. The proposal includes up to 500K sf of near-term office space with a capacity to add up to 8 million sf in the future, in each of these areas - North San Jose, Downtown and South San Jose. A blogpost about the proposal provides much more detail.

Amazon's best bet for its HQ2 may just be hiding in plain sight - right where so many giants have grown, Silicon Valley.

San Jose celebrated national Manufacturing Day 2017 by hosting 40 tours with more than 800 students from five school districts on tours to 11 manufacturing companies in the city on Thursday, Oct. 5 and Friday,

Oct. 6.

"San Jose continues to play an important role in helping reinvigorate American tech manufacturing," said Mayor Sam Liccardo. "We will continue to engage with a wide array of partners in our community to facilitate the growth of San José's tech manufacturing sector and the jobs they create for our residents."

Participating students came from East Side Union High School District, San Jose Unified High School District, MetroED, Oak Grove School District and Campbell Unified High School District. OED worked in conjunction with the Silicon Valley Organization's Strive Internship Program in securing the schools' participation.

Created by Founding Partner Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, International in 2012, MFG DAY has enjoyed support from many organizations aligned with its mission of positively changing the public perception of modern manufacturing.

OED Business Development Officer, Donovan Lazaro, was interviewed by KABC at Jabil as part of the media's coverage of the event.

For more information, contact
Donovan Lazaro, Business Development Officer, OED.

RETAIL NEWS

/ A NOBLE SANDWICH COMES TO TOWN

#DTSJ

The Earl of Sandwich has opened its first Northern California location in the ground floor retail space of the One South Market high-rise apartment building on the corner of Santa Clara Street and Market Street. It joins The Proper Cup and Chipotle, adding bustle to this thriving intersection in Downtown San Jose.

.

The chain has a family legacy that goes back to an actual Earl of Sandwich, who in 1762 asked for roast beef inside slices of bread, to eat with his hands while playing cards.

In 2004, Lord John Montagu, the 11th Earl of Sandwich®and his son, the Honorable Orlando Montagu, direct descendants of the inventor of the sandwich, partnered with Robert Earl, founder and CEO of Planet Hollywood®, to launch the Earl of Sandwich® restaurants. The chain's motto: "We made the first sandwich. Now we make the best sandwich."

Information about the store and the menu is available on the company's website.

On Oct. 20, SVCTE (Silicon Valley Career Technical Education), the high school career training division of the Metropolitan Education District (MetroEd), celebrated its 100th year in operation in San Jose. MetroEd Superintendent Alyssa Lynch gave an opening address, followed by a series of speakers that included Mayor Sam Liccardo and John Boncher,
President/CEO of Cupertino Electric, a commercial electrical services provider based in San Jose that employs over 1,000 union tradesmen and women.

SVCTE provides technical training opportunities for students in six local school districts, including San Jose Unified and East Side Union High School Districts.

"We are extremely proud to celebrate 100 years of providing Career Technical Education training to our community," said Alyssa Lynch, Superintendent of Metropolitan Education District. "Our event showcases the history of cutting-edge, high-quality programs that continue to prepare students for college and careers in today's competitive global economy." The
MetroEd press release includes details of the event.

Mayor Liccardo emphasized the importance of SVCTE in addressing the region's wage gap: "SVCTE is critical to filling the void between those in Silicon Valley who possess sought-after skills and those who do not. With 1,500 high school students coming through these doors each year, SVCTE is really making a positive impact."

For more on San Jose workforce development, contact
Jeff Ruster, Director of Strategic Partnerships, OED.

INNOVATION

/ WANTED - BORING WALLS!

#SJCA

A start-up housed in the WeWorks offices in Downtown San Jose has its eye out for "boring walls" in San Jose. SprayPrinter is an Estonian company that came to San Jose seeking opportunity, vision and the Silicon Valley vibe.

The company is equal parts technology, entrepreneurship and art - offering an app that connects artistic vision to a blank wall, via a connector between a smart phone and a can of spray paint. The application of a mural - on an interior wall, an entire facade or even a 100' smokestack - can be by hand, sweeping the spray can as it emits programmed bursts of paint, or by a "wall crawler" robot.

A Q&A with SprayPrinter CEO Richard Muratar is featured on the OED blog page
.

San Jose's position at #5 was driven by the nation's best Gross Metropolitan Product - San Jose's GMP has ballooned by a nation-leading 46.3 percent in the past half-decade.

The study included all 100 metros, and was based on the latest data from several government agencies, including the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Census Bureau.,

The San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan area took third place in a new analysis of how U.S. cities are doing economically, with Provo, Utah ranked first, Austin, Texas second and Nashville fourth.